2023-2024 Official University Academic Catalog 
    
    Oct 04, 2024  
2023-2024 Official University Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Credit Applied Toward a Degree



LETU is committed to ensuring the quality of a LeTourneau education and takes responsibility for all courses applied toward a degree granted by the University. The University has instituted policies designed to ensure the quality of credits applied toward a degree, while recognizing the value of learning that takes place at other institutions and outside of the university setting. Credit earned through means other than coursework at LETU will be recorded on the transcript and will indicate the name of the institution or other venue at which the coursework was earned.

Residency Requirements

Regardless of the number of credit hours transferred, residency requirements must be met in order to graduate. For more information, see the Residency Requirements in the Graduation Requirements  section of this catalog. Transferred courses, if accepted, appear on the transcript with the name of the transferring institution and the credit hours accepted from the transferring institution. No grade is recorded, and no grade points are applied.

Prior Learning Credit Transfer

LeTourneau University recognizes that many students have gained academic achievement in certain subject areas prior to entering an institution of higher education. The University awards transfer credit for courses as specified in the complete list of approved exams, minimum scores, and additional requirements for the following options for prior learning credit transfer. 

Prior learning credit transfer courses taken prior to or after enrolling at LeTourneau University may be duplicative. If so, credit will be awarded for only one course.

Credit may be awarded for service-related experiences such as those evaluated in the Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services. Military students should refer to the complete list for additional sources of prior credit for military students.

Prior Learning Portfolio

Students may submit their prior learning portfolio after acceptance to the University. Refer to the Portfolio webpage for more information. The University will accept up to 9 hours of portfolio credit.

Departmental Exam

Credit for a limited number of courses as determined by each department is available through a departmental examination. Credit may be awarded for department examinations if the student earns a grade of C or higher. The student must receive permission to take the examination by obtaining the required signatures on the Request for Credit by Departmental Examination form. If approval is granted, the student must pay the departmental examination fee before the examination will be administered. Results will be reported to the Office of the Registrar. The examination for a given course may be taken only once.

Transfer Credit

Clear course equivalencies, articulation agreements between schools, or common course numbering will be evaluated and credit awarded accordingly. Course descriptions will be evaluated to see if an equivalency exists. If no clear equivalency exists, a general elective credit or elective credit in the course area will be given. If the course requested to be accepted for transfer does not have a clear comparability to a LeTourneau University course, the faculty member in the discipline, as the content expert, will make the final decision about the transfer equivalency.

LETU only accepts official transcripts for transfer of credit.

The University defines official transcript as one received directly from the issuing institution bearing appropriate validation or authentication (signed, printed on security paper, stamped or printed with the university seal) whether on paper or a certified electronic copy through a vendor approved by LETU. Official transcripts may also be transported by the student provided that the transcripts bear the appropriate validation/authentication described above, and are enclosed within an envelope sealed by the issuing institution with no evidence of tampering.

LETU only accepts undergraduate transfer credits that carry a grade of at least a “C” or its equivalent. Graduate courses must carry a grade of “B” or better to be considered for transfer. Courses and grades transferred from other institutions are not included in the calculation of the LeTourneau University grade point average (GPA). For more information, see catalog section, Accreditation, Definitions of Academic Terms  .

The course credit is from approved higher educational institutions: The following institutions with accreditation recognized by CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation).

             i.  Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

            ii.  Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

            iii. New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)

            iv.  Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NCCU)

            v.  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

            vi.  WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

           vii.  WASC Accrediting Commission for Community Junior Colleges (ACCJC)

           viii.  Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)

            ix.  Association of Theological Schools (ATS)

            x.  Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS)

           xi.  Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS)

Unit of Credit

The unit of credit at LeTourneau University is the semester hour. Hours earned at schools operating under the quarter system will transfer at the ratio of two semester credit hours for every three hours earned in a quarter term.

Transfer Credit from Non-Regionally Accredited Institutions

Determination of acceptability of transfer credit from non-regionally accredited institutions remains at the discretion of LeTourneau University. The institution at which the credits were earned should supply three letters verifying acceptance of credits earned by three regionally accredited institutions. In the event that these letters cannot be obtained, additional documentation will be required in order for LETU to consider the courses for transfer. If the courses are considered for transfer, existing transfer credit policies, including evaluation of courses by discipline experts, will apply to the credit from that institution. Credits accepted will be limited to a maximum of 30 semester hours.

Transfer Credit from International Colleges and Universities

Transcripts will need to be evaluated by Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE) before sending to LETU. International transcripts may also be evaluated by World Education Services (WES) and SpanTran Educational Services. Credit is accepted based on the U.S. letter grade equivalent for the post-secondary grading method used. At LETU’s discretion on a case-by-case basis, other upper level exams and tests, such as A-levels, French Baccalaureate, and other well-established measures, may be considered for acceptance of credit by the Office of the Registrar based on recommendation from one of the credential evaluating services.

Texas Common Course Numbering System

LeTourneau University participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. The purpose of the system is to assist students who are transferring between participating institutions. The system utilizes unique course alphabetic prefixes and numbers to identify freshman-level and sophomore-level courses that are common between two or more member institutions. The common course identifiers appear in an index in the back of this catalog. Courses earned with a C or better that match the common course numbering list and are applicable to the student’s degree plan are acceptable for transfer credit. Texas Common Course Number Index